1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spool assembly, which is lockingly assembled from two flanges and a tube or spindle.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
A knock-down spool assembly is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,913 to McCaffrey. A spindle body has specifically configured end projections and a pair of end plates is furnished to receive the end projections.
A spool assembly is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,316 to Goetz et al. Each end of a spindle is formed with a resilient locking arrangement and each end plate is formed with a centrally located opening. A locking arrangement is formed on the periphery of each opening to cooperate with a resilient locking arrangement on an end of the spindle.
Campbell in U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,841 teaches a knockdown reel. The knockdown reel comprises a tubular hub and has a pair of similar end flanges disconnectably attached to opposite ends of the hub with a latching means. The latching means can become released to separate the end flanges from the hub and minimize the space consumed in transport and storage.
Espy in U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,409 teaches a disposable light-tight canister. The canister includes an open ended opaque tubular sleeve closed at both ends by opaque end caps lockingly interconnected by a rigid tie bar extending longitudinally between the end caps along a core of the photosensitive media. Resilient fingers are provided at an end of the tie bar for forming a pressure engagement with a central receiving aperture formed in the end cap.
The PCT application with Application number PCT/EP93/03404 and international publication number WO 94/13570 teaches a bobbin for receiving elongated winding material. The bobbin has a winding core upon which are arranged two flanges and where at least one flange is removable. The flange is locked to the winding core for ensuring a stable connection between flange and winding core.
Harris et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,873 teaches a cassette for web material. The web is wound onto a tubular web core. Hub members have at least one flexible lock at the free end of the hub member and when the flexible lock rotatably engages core grooves, separation of the end caps from the jacket is prevented.
The French printed patent document FR 2,691,448-A1 to Filthaut KG teaches a bobbin made of a synthetic material. Removable projecting disk sections are disposed at the ends of the tubular core, wherein the tubular core is held by radial projections within recesses. The disk units are locked with respect to the core. The bobbin of the French printed patent document FR 2,691,448-A1 is a know-down 5-component assembly, is described to be capable of assembly and disassembly for the purpose of reuse, and is designed for winding ribbons or yarns, etc.